


Absence

by SamJoinedtheReconCorps



Series: A Flame in the Shadows [13]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Post Ep 78, essek is a lonely boy, spoilers for ep 97
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:07:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23120713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamJoinedtheReconCorps/pseuds/SamJoinedtheReconCorps
Summary: The Mighty Nein head to Zadash. Essek gets lonely.
Relationships: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast
Series: A Flame in the Shadows [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1648909
Comments: 16
Kudos: 127





	Absence

**Author's Note:**

> super super super short interlude right before tonight's episode
> 
> Essek is just...yeah, he's a lonely boy
> 
> I hope you guys like it!!

“ _ Sorry to bother you again _ ,” a hesitant whisper said quietly, pulling him out of his trance. “ _ Um, would you be able to provide transport into a place within the Empire? Um, is that something you’re willing - _ ”

Essek sits up slowly, dragging a hand through his hair. It’s not often that he decides to trance in his bed - which is mostly for decoration since he can just trance in a comfy chair - but it would just be his luck that Jester messages him when he does. He lets out a yawn, his mind still foggy from sleep as he responds,  _ “Respectfully, you have a capable arcanist in your midst. I have already shuttled you to places far away. You should not have a problem - _ ” He blindly reaches out to his nightstand, picking up the tiny copper wire he keeps there and  _ sending _ the rest of his response, “ _ \- returning to where you came from, right? _ ”

There’s a few beats of silence where Essek feels no response coming, and he’s about to lay down again when a new message comes in. “ _ Oh, I know, for the record that’s totally how I was feeling about it too. I was just double-checking you know ‘cuz we needed to - _ ”

Giving another small yawn, he answers, “ _ I wish you luck. _ ” He then remembers to add, _ “Let me know should you discover where this beacon may be. _ ”

“ _ We definitely will do that, Essek, _ ” she assures. “ _ Also, I hope you have a really good night’s sleep and thank you for everything today, the chair was - _ ” Even though her message gets cut off, he can almost hear the way she’d finish it, her “really cool” immediately coming to mind.

He lets out a small laugh, just a puff of giddy air that escapes him as he falls back against his pillows. He thinks of warm skin against his and a shy smile, freckles like stars and eyes as bright as the sun. And with a content exhale, Essek allows himself to trance once more.

* * *

They’re in a room of the Lavish Chateau, sitting around and waiting as Jester prepares her  _ scry _ . She draws a parody of arcane symbols along the ground in a circle that she then sits at the center of, pulling out a small crystal ball that she uses as her focus on the spell. She holds it to her chest, closing her eyes as a light breeze wafts in through the open window, bringing in the smell of the sea, the salty tang and cool spray that gives the shore such a distinct smell.

She furrows her brow in concentration before giving a quiet, “Oh, finally.” She scrunches her nose as she squeezes her eyes even more tightly shut, focusing on whatever she’s seeing. She tenses, and Caleb doesn’t need to look at the rest of the Mighty Nein to know that they’ve all mimicked her, all anxious as to what she might be seeing.

Recognition flashes across Jester’s face but she keeps her eyes shut, her lower lip beginning to tremble. Then, after a handful of minutes that feel eternal, Jester’s eyes snap open. They’re full of tears.

“I saw her,” she whispers. “I saw Yasha.”

* * *

After the rather tense meeting explaining what happened in the Dungeon of Penance - a meeting that Essek had masterfully smoothed over with reassurances and promises that nothing of that sort would ever happen again - things settled down.

The next few days that go by are uneventful. Essek goes to meetings. He helps Den Duendalos with their research. He works on spells. He goes home. His life is quiet, back to normal for all intents and purposes.

Essek feels lonely.

When he gets a moment of free time he considers  _ scrying _ on them before pushing the thought away. He wonders if he should  _ send _ the Mighty Nein a message. He could keep things professional. He was their liaison, after all.

“ _ We are friends now _ .”

Caleb had said that, slow and reassuring, offering him something he’d long been without.

He takes the copper in his fingers, twisting it and twisting it and twisting it. He puts it away. He has work he needs to do.

* * *

Jester plops down in the middle of the Zadash Archive, pulling out her crystal sphere as she begins her  _ scry _ . They’re all worried about what she may find - if this will confirm what they have found out about Jourrael, or if what she sees will throw another wrench into their tenuous understanding of what Obann and the Angel of Irons are planning.

Cracking a soft smile after she closes her eyes, Jester falls into that same expression of concentration - furrowed brow, scrunched nose - but this time, her shoulders are already pinched nervously.

A few tense seconds of silence, then she whispers, “Does this make you nervous at all?”

Caleb turns from where he had been reading over the spines of books that might have anything to do with time. He glances at Fjord who returns his same look of hesitation. Jester’s not talking to them. She’s talking to The Traveler.

“He’s got the head already,” Jester says quietly.

Cold dread sweeps over the room as they realize what that means. They’re out of time.

* * *

It’s been about two weeks of silence when he finally hears her voice again. “ _ We found out some really dangerous, important things that we need to talk to you about, _ ” Jester starts, solemn and serious. “ _I know you don’t want to, but we could -_ ” Before Essek even has a chance to respond she’s  _ sending _ another message, seamlessly picking up where she last left off, “ _ \- really use your help with transportation. This is life or death for a lot of people. _ ” There’s a beat of silence before she adds, “ _ It’s on your doorstep _ .”

Essek has rarely ever heard Jester sound so serious. It makes a tendril of fear curl in his stomach, worry that climbs up and makes itself at home in his lungs.

He’d been thinking about how sending them had been risky, but it wasn’t until after Caleb was attacked by the Scourger in the Dungeon of Penance, on  _ his _ watch that he realized how dangerous things could really be. As the days had drawn on he had worried himself more and more over it - if an emaciated, imprisoned Scourger could do  _ that _ , what could the Cerberus Assembly do at their full might?

His thoughts turn to the Laughing Hand and the Angel of Irons, the monster under their bed biding its time and readying it's strike - a looming threat in the shadows even as the Assembly was a present blade over their necks, a guillotine that could drop at any moment.

Feeling his chest grow tight with worry, Essek did his best to keep his voice steady. “ _ If it's indeed this important, then maybe it's something we can discuss. I trust that your intentions are forthright. _ ” He took a shaky breath, adding on, “ _ I’ll need your help soon anyway _ .” No other message comes, but even if it had, Essek doesn’t think he would have been able to give a steady answer.

**Author's Note:**

> I had to betray both the sense of urgency on the Mighty Nein's part and then the like, loneliness that Essek was feeling, because it took them TWO WHOLE WEEKS TO GET TO ZADASH, WHERE THEY FINALLY MESSAGED HIM
> 
> unless i'm mistaken, which I could be
> 
> also, at this point in time, they've known Essek for roughly 50ish days??? I'm trying my best to keep track of how much time has passed, especially when they have travel sequences that get time skipped and such
> 
> anyway, thank you all so very very much for reading, I really hope you guys liked it!!!
> 
> This fic was inspired by:  
> A Tangled Web | Critical Role | Campaign 2, Episode 77 - 3:16:25 - 3:18:21, 3:40:00 - 3:47:15  
> Between the Lines | Critical Role | Campaign 2, Episode 78 - 3:07:30 - 3:13:32, 3:55:10 - 3:56:48
> 
> and one last little thing!!! the publishing date for ep 77 on youtube also marks the first day that I wrote a Mighty Nein fic, back in my Widofjord Water and Fire (and Steam) series!!! idk I just thought that was neat :)))


End file.
